The role of a communal workplace climate in occupational well-being: associations with lower burnout and higher work engagement.

Abstract

Background: This study aims to examine the predictive role of communal and agentic workplace climates in relation to work engagement and job burnout among Polish employees across various industries. A communal workplace climate emphasizes organizational and managerial priorities related to fostering positive relationships among employees, whereas an agentic workplace climate highlights a focus on employee productivity and performance.

Participants and procedure: Two cross-sectional studies comprising a total sample of 910 participants were conducted. Each study utilized distinct methods for measuring burnout and work engagement. The research employed multiple linear regression models and path analysis to explore how these climates affect employee outcomes.

Results: Findings from the study indicate that a communal workplace climate is associated with significantly lower levels of burnout and higher levels of work engagement. In contrast, an agentic workplace climate marginally contributes to burnout, displaying a positive relationship - indicating that stronger perceptions of the workplace as agentic are associated with increased burnout. However, it also weakly correlates with increased work engagement. Additionally, attitudes toward the organization were found to mediate these relationships.

Conclusions: This research highlights the beneficial effects of a communal climate in reducing burnout and boosting engagement, while also pointing out the complexities introduced by an agentic climate. The results contribute to understanding how to create more optimal and psychologically safe work environments.